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Monday, 30 July 2018

Sarah Vine - Fake News Hypocrite

After the DCMS Committee report on Fake News, it was inevitable that some within the press and pundit establishment would come over all righteous and call Fake News on others - like anyone they disliked. So it was that Sarah “Vain” Vine, who left Twitter because it was “a sewer”, but then came back because of the need to promote Herself Personally Now, decided to have a go at activist and pundit Owen Jones.

Behold the face of righteous entitlement

Taking to that “sewer” once more, she trilled “Ever wonder why there is so much #FakeNews around? Because there are so many fake journalists. Principle among these is @OwenJones84. No training, no rigour, just social-media driven guff. Here, by contrast, is Dominic Lawson”. She really hasn’t thought this one through, has she?

One, Jones is a pundit and not a news reporter. Most of those who know of him have figured that one out. And Two, Dominic Lawson, of whom she clearly approves, is just, well, another pundit. But that was only the start of her troubles.

Mike Powell mused “There must be a bottom to this barrel … Your husband @michaelgove is meeting with Steve Bannon and you want to lecture people about fake news?” Meanwhile, Jay Rayner was on hand to remind Ms Vine that “Oiky” had been busted over-claiming his MPs expenses. By several thousand pounds.

Sarah Vine protests too much ...

... because this is the Bellend she is defending

That, though, was a mere hors d’oeuvres for a much more substantial entrée, as Ms Vine went total Fake News herself as she sought to defend the loathsome Toby Young: “Brilliant @toadmeister @pollytoynbee @CarolineLucas - and everyone else who sought to destroy this flawed but fundamentally good man: you should read this and then apologise. Not that you will, of course”. Apologise? For someone who has been spreading malicious lies about, yes, Owen Jones this morning? Which Sarah Vine Retweeted?

It gets worse: Ms Vine has also endorsed Darren Grimes’ crowdfunding appeal, with the comment “Fightback”. Fightback against what, being caught breaking electoral law and trying to screw with the country’s democracy? A crowdfunding campaign that makes a crude and malicious accusation against the Electoral Commission? A narrative that is the epitome of Fake News? And that was not the end of it.

She then Retweeted Tom Harwood, who is the new apprentice sandwich monitor to the perpetually thirsty Paul Staines at the Guido Fawkes blog, who was “Super excited to say I’ve joined @GuidoFawkes as a reporter!” The Fawkes blog is a borderline Fake News outfit. And Sarah Vine, who claims to be against Fake News, is endorsing its minions.

On top of that, she still has her £100,000 a year-plus sinecure at the Daily Mail, a paper whose hacks and pundits are well versed in the art of Fake News. And she’s married to one of the most Fake politicians ever to be foisted on the British people.

Sarah Vine is a fine one to call Fake News on others. I’ll just leave that one there.